MILAN (AP) — The spotlight is constantly on Auston Matthews, no matter where is.
He carries a lot on his shoulders in the NHL as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs in what is known as the center (centre in Canada) of the hockey universe. He also has tons of pressure wearing the “C” for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
By the time the preliminary round ended, Matthews looked precisely like the leader the Americans were hoping he would be. He scored two goals and had an assist on an otherworldly pass in a performance against Germany that coach Mike Sullivan called inspiring to the whole group.
Teammates are quick to defend Matthews the captain and the player, with his style being far more about leading by example than with words.
“He’s a quiet leader, but he does things the right way,” center Dylan Larkin said Tuesday. “He sacrifices offense by being on the defensive side of the puck all the time, he blocks shots and then he rises to the occasion. There’s no one better to lead our group than him.”
Matthews leads the U.S. into the quarterfinals against Sweden or Latvia tied for first on the team in scoring with five points. The Germany game stood out because, by his standards, the 28-year-old center had a quiet start in Milan.
“He’s been great all tournament,” linemate Jake Guentzel said. “You guys put a lot of heat on him for no reason. He’s just an unbelievable player and plays in all situations.”
Jack Eichel is the first-line center between brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, but Sullivan loves what the trio of Matthews, Guentzel and Matt Boldy can provide for his team. Matthews as a second-line center is an incredible luxury reserved only for tournaments like the Olympics when the collection of elite talent is this deep.
“The way he plays the whole game defensively — winning faceoffs, he’s great down low and he’s always in the right place,” Boldy said. “The way he’s able to score and the way he’s table to play such an honest game is pretty remarkable.”
Matthews led the NHL in goals three times in his first nine seasons and is not far removed from scoring 69 in 2023-24. That’s not what the players and coaches around him are talking about when they see what Matthews is doing on the ice.
“He does a lot of things really well, even when he’s not producing, that people might not notice,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Everyone’s always focused on his goal-scoring and rightfully so. He’s one of the best goal-scorers in the world. But since we’ve been here, he’s been such a leader for us the way he plays the game.”
General manager Bill Guerin, who put this team together and decided to keep Matthews as captain just like at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago, pointed that out before the tournament started. Guerin said he has a great relationship with Matthews, who he called “a pretty special kid.”
“I think the world of him,” Guerin said. “There are a lot of different ways to lead. He’s not a man of many words, but he puts it out there every night.”
Against Germany, Matthews’ feed to Werenski and goal from the edge of the crease made it clear he was rounding into All-Star form. Sullivan thinks Matthews’ game has been building since group play started, and Matthews agrees.
“Each game I’ve felt better and better,” he said. “It’s nice to kind of get rewarded like that and just continue to build your confidence individually and as a team.”
Matthews does not seem to lack confidence as a player, and being in the pressure cooker that is Toronto has only hardened the Arizona native for this experience.
“I’m sure he’s different here than with Toronto, just because it’s such an elite group in there,” forward Jack Hughes said. “(He is) a guy we look up to, to drive our group.”
Away from the rink, forward Vincent Trocheck said Matthews has been arranging some player get-togethers. In the locker room, Matthews isn’t a vocal leader, but he commands plenty of respect.
“He’s a great captain,” Trocheck said. “He doesn’t speak up a ton, but when he does you’re going to listen. I think he’s done a great job so far.”
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